Specialist I, II, Sr, Safety & Health

Southern Company•Virginia Beach, VA

About The Position

The purpose of this position is to ensure Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) compliance, focusing on occupational safety programs. Responsible for managing and administering company policies and procedures to support Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, other local/state/federal EHS regulations, and industry best practices to ensure compliance across regionalized Southern Company Gas employee work groups and territories (including non-reg). This position is part of a job family of individual contributor positions that spans from entry level safety & health positions (i.e., recent college grad) through seasoned safety professionals with decades of knowledge and experience, and substantial budgetary responsibility. The three position titles 1) Specialist I, Safety & Health; 2) Specialist II, Safety & Health; and 3) Specialist Sr. Safety & Health will be based on years of experience and/or education; demonstrated knowledge, skills & ability; complexity of programs administered, risk and responsibility, and budgetary value managed. Additionally, competency criticality is elevated with each position with higher risk elements.

Requirements

BA/BS degree in Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering or other related technical or science degree or equivalent combination of education or experience in Health and Safety Management, or equivalent of time and experience in a compliance related field.
Minimum of 1-2 years experience in occupational safety, motor vehicle safety, process/contractor safety, and/or industrial hygiene (Specialist I)
Minimum of 2-4 years experience in occupational safety, motor vehicle safety, process/contractor safety, and/or industrial hygiene (Specialist II)
Minimum of 4-6 years experience in occupational safety, motor vehicle safety, process/contractor safety, and/or industrial hygiene (Specialist Sr.)
Working knowledge of OSHA/DOT regulations and programs
Implements safety programs and initiatives to field operations employees/contractors
Utilizes compliance software systems and databases
Develops and conducts safety related training and presentations
Presents safety related data and proposed action plans to leadership to improve safety performance
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Knowledge of safe work practices and procedures
MS Office Suite - intermediate proficiency, ability to learn other databases and technology tools quickly
Project management skills
Strong organizational and time management skills
Ability to manage multiple projects with limited supervision
Ability to understand and analyze legislation and regulation and translate into corporate summaries and policy
Competency to work independently, to be a self-starter, and take initiative
Strong presentation and team facilitation skills
Ability to implement Safety Culture programs to improve safety performance
Strong leadership skills and skills
Strong competence in implementation of Safety Culture programs to improve safety performance

Nice To Haves

Certification such as CSP (Certified Safety Professional), CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist), PMP (Project Management Professional) or equivalent

Responsibilities

Review prospective safety legislation and regulations and work with company representatives and appropriate industry groups to prepare and submit comments, and work with multi-stakeholder groups to guide development of regulations.
Identify and document relevant safety compliance regulations and develop and write procedures and protocols relating to all Company operations and Business Units.
Serve as subject matter expert (SME) to internal Southern Company Gas’ business units and departments on matters of occupational safety and compliance.
Serve as contact point for OSHA inquiries and complaints; conducts safety investigations and submits reports.
Inventory, document and validate safety aspects of Southern Company Gas’ operations (e.g. fire extinguishers, respiratory equipment, vehicles, vehicle cameras, employee count).
Assess and coordinate any needs for occupational safety related permits (e.g. Lock Out Tag Out permits, Hot Work permits)
Provide content for training of employees pertaining to safety compliance programs and standards, and conduct training in some cases when a subject matter expert is needed.
Respond to Safety emergency situations (e.g. OSHA or other regulator field inspections, injuries, employee field hazards) to facilitate an investigation or corrective actions.
Champion the standardization of safety programs. Lead employees to merge programs, determine efficiencies, and drive a consistent safety culture across the enterprise. May supervisor other employees in the department and provide guidance for the standardization initiatives.
Evaluate existing safety compliance programs for the applicable regions within control and determine and implement any corrections/modifications as needed.
Maintain and retain compliance documentation as required by OSHA.
Counsel and inform business leaders on new or modified EHS regulations and the affects of the regulations on company policies and work practices.
Provide safety-related statistics and best practices data to internal and external groups (e.g., American Gas Association (AGA)).
Document, analyze and evaluate occupational safety, process safety, and motor vehicle safety metrics. Interpret the data to determine trends and inform business units of those trends.
Evaluate EHS incidents and recommend corrective and preventive actions for EHS incidents (injuries, motor vehicle collisions, process safety incidents)
Represent the corporation at applicable association meetings on various EHS issues.
Formulate and recommend the annual operating and capital budgets and track the budgets according to plan.
Determine EHS best practices to support the company’s goals by consulting with company representatives (internal peers and other key business units) and external sources such as AGA and peer companies.
Facilitate department meetings and training sessions to coach and educate other employees. May supervise other employees in the department and be responsible for their knowledge of safety programs.
Collaborate with business units to achieve shared results.
Advocate Company’s position regarding safety compliance legislative and regulatory developments in conjunction with internal government relations personnel and industry lobbying groups.
Demonstrate good communication and interpersonal skills at all levels within the Company necessary to guide business units and individuals with respect to EHS issues.
Develop and conduct presentations for business and safety meetings, safety committee meetings, safety summits, and other presentations on safety-related standards and policies.
Partner with other key business units (e.g. Claims, HR/Medical, Fleet) to ensure all incidents / accidents are logged and recorded appropriately and relevant data is recorded and documented.
Motivate and encourage development of a safety culture by facilitating focus group exercises (e.g. Hazard Analyses, Safety Culture Assessments, Safety Committee Exercises, Job Hazard Assessments).
Build team spirit and direction. Train, motivate and guide other employees to work collaboratively with all business units. May supervise other employees in the department and coach on demonstration of strong communication skills.
Develop, implement, and administer compliance programs (e.g. Hearing Conservation, Driver Qualification, Respiratory Protection); Direct EHS programs and projects by developing measurements and qualification processes and maintaining databases that support the programs.
Conduct safety compliance assessments. Create assessment reports with summaries of observations and corrective actions. Drive the business units to correct deficiencies by conducting follow-up meetings with the business leaders.
Direct and oversee investigations of EHS incidents such as higher severity injuries and motor vehicle collisions and process safety incidents. Monitor implementation of corrective and preventive actions to prevent further incidents.
Ensuring Company operations achieve and maintain compliance with applicable safety laws and regulations and existing safety policies and procedures.
Takes personal responsibility to ensure that compliance is achieved with high quality and efficiency.
Monitor EHS compliance, evaluate trends and provide reports to business units and regulatory agencies as required.
Provide sound business decisions and recommendations in a timely manner with appropriate sense of urgency.
Develop and maintain EHS related policies and manuals to ensure compliance with regulations.
Act and respond to OSHA inquiries, complaints, citations, and observations by overseeing an investigation of the inquiry and developing a report back to OSHA on the investigation findings.
Lead and guide other employees to take responsibility for completion of tasks. May supervise other employees in the department to ensure safety related projects and programs are completed according to plan.